


Pub Crawl In Reverse

by Aurelia_Combeferre



Series: A Life Worthwhile [1]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: EnjonineWeek2018, F/M, Metro Manila, Prompt 1 The Morning After, enjonine - Freeform, night out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-19 20:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15517923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurelia_Combeferre/pseuds/Aurelia_Combeferre
Summary: It's 6am at the breakfast diner on the corner. Éponine and Enjolras need to figure out what happened the night before.





	Pub Crawl In Reverse

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 1: The Morning After. PG-13 for swearing and hangover induced issues

**Pub Crawl In Reverse**

 “I never thought that you of all people would be the last left standing.”

“I am not that much of a lightweight, Eponine.”

Eponine rolled her eyes before rubbing her temples to stave off the slight ache beginning to build in her forehead. The jabbering of the diner’s few other customers did not help matters too much, and it was all she could do to seek solace in the comforting smell of the plate of eggs and bacon on the red plastic table. The heavy greasy aroma was a stark contrast to the crisp morning breeze whipping through the patio, bringing with it a slight tang from an impending rainstorm. 

After a few moments she felt the throbbing begin to abate and she took a deep breath before sitting up straight. “I am sure that if you were not the designated driver, you’d be out for the count too,” she muttered as she glared at the young man seated across from her. It did not help that despite the rather unholy hour of six in the morning, her companion managed to appear no worse for the wear. ‘ _Which is more than I can say for myself.’_

Enjolras merely raised one eyebrow as he picked up his cup of black coffee. “The secret is hydration. Though I think you need a better choice of liquid next time.”

“I had water!”

“Whiskey on the rocks does not count.”

“It’s still dihydrogen monoxide,” Eponine grumbled, earning a slight chuckle from Enjolras. “Hey even you can’t deny that!”

“Just don’t say it where Combeferre can hear you.” Enjolras refilled a glass of water and set it in front of Eponine before he reached over to check his phone. “Still no word from them.”

Eponine snorted. “That isn’t surprising.”

“But still worrisome.”

“Where did you last see them anyway?” She took a long swig of water even as she tried to recall where she had last seen their friends. ‘ _How far away was that bar anyhow?’_ she wondered silently as she picked up a fork to begin digging into her greasy breakfast plate.

He sighed deeply as he held up his phone to show a map of the immediate vicinity.The diner where they had been seated for the last quarter of an hour stood out like an angry red dot in a sea of other food hubs, bars, and cafes. “I believe we saw them several blocks backnear Bucky’s.”

“Fuck. That’s several blocks away.”

“Maybe we should order more of this food for take out.”

She shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that if we cannot remember where we saw them, they have lost count of how much they’ve had to drink.”

Enjolras winced as he picked up his own fork. “Drugstore first then.”

“Down past the church,” Eponine said, pointing to the left side of the road. At least that much she could remember. ‘ _But if almost everything here is closed on a Saturday morning, where could everyone else be?’_

**

“Did it really have to be _this_ hostel?”

“You thought that that Cosette would want to sleep out on the street?”

This time it was Enjolras’ turn to sigh deeply as he looked around the street and then checked his watch. It had been a quarter of an hour since they had left the diner and begun their trek back through the now mostly slumbering neighborhood. As it stood, there were only a few establishments open at this early hour. “Well she is old enough to explain herself,” he muttered as he followed Eponine up the winding stairs. “Did the concierge say they were on the third floor?”

“It isn’t Cosette I am worried for,” Eponine drawled, glancing over her shoulder at him. It was all she could do not to laugh at Enjolras’ attempts at being stoic; the flush in his cheeks was not doing him any favors. “On the bright side, we’ll get them cleaned up and looking presentable before Courfeyrac and the other can start getting their jibes in.”

“That’s the one mercy in this situation,” Enjolras said as they finally reached the third floor hallway and walked down to the fifth door. He knocked twice on the door before smirking knowingly. “Someone is up.”

“Care to take any bets?”

“Spare me.”

Eponine squeezed his arm for a moment before the door opened a crack. “Good morning Cosette. It’s way past _your_ curfew.”

“Oh God.” Cosette groaned and opened the door wider, only to turn beet red on seeing who was greeting her. “How long have you two been waiting there?”

“Not very long,” Eponine said. She gestured to the long blue shirt that Cosette had on. “Looks better on you than it does on Marius.”

Cosette groaned again before giving Eponine and Enjolras a beseeching look from behind the disheveled blonde hair falling into her face “Don’t tell Courfeyrac. He’ll never let us hear the end of it, please!”

“Shouldn’t that be the least of your problems?” Enjolras deadpanned. 

“My parents are out of town,” Cosette murmured before glancing over her shoulder. “I’ll make sure Marius is awake. Where will we meet you guys?”

“Right where we parked. Take your time, we still have to _find_ Courfeyrac,” Eponine quipped before Cosette hurriedly slammed the door. She met Enjolras’ wide and disbelieving gaze. “Part of you was still in denial about those two?”

Enjolras shrugged. “I do not dwell on such a topic.”

‘ _Because you know that everyone dwells more on about us,’_ Eponine almost said, but she settled for squeezing Enjolras’ arm again. “So where to next?”

He brought out his phone once more. “Right here.” He pointed to a spot on the map just past the main avenue. “One of the few other places open at this hour.”

She sighed on seeing the name of another 24-hour diner on the map. “We didn’t go there last night.”

“I know. But remember who we last saw at that tequila place nearby?”

Eponine winced as an image of several brightly colored drinks lined up on a table flashed before her mind’s eye. “Shit. I am never drinking margaritas again.”

**

Unlike the sedate, homey breakfast establishment that Eponine and Enjolras had initially taken refuge in, the Filling Station was a more garishly colored affair that seemed to come straight out of a movie set. “ _Like a psychedelic dream of sorts,’_ Eponine thought as she looked away from the neon lights at the diner entrance. “You sure they’d be here?”

“For the same reasons we were eating earlier,” Enjolras said, placing his hand momentarily at her back as they entered the diner. “Good morning Bossuet. Where are Joly and Musichetta?”

From a booth in the corner, Bossuet groaned while gesturing to the restroom. “I told Joly not to have that hair of the dog.”

“The name of that remedy alone should have been a deterrent,” Enjolras deadpanned.

Bossuet covered his face with his hands before looking at Eponine. “You woke up to this snark?” he asked, glancing from her to Enjolras.

“What? We haven’t slept----and get your mind out of the gutter,” Eponine retorted as she and Enjolras took seats in the booth. She waved to Joly and Musichetta, who were just exiting the nearby restroom. “You both look like hell.”

Musichetta nodded blearily. “Never drinking gin again.”

‘ _Famous last words,’_ Eponine thought even as she began helping pour glasses of water for their friends. “Have you heard from everyone else?”

“Not since you two left on your cozy double date with Marius and Cosette,” Joly said, managing a lopsided grin as he wiped his mouth. “Hasn’t Mrs. Fauchelevent come looking for Cosette yet?”

“She’s out of town,” Eponine explained slyly.

“I always knew Cosette was quite canny,” Musichetta laughed, now looking a little more recovered after drinking down a whole glass of water. “But seriously, not a peep from the others? They didn’t come by this way either.”

Enjolras shook his head. “We were just backtracking---” he began before Joly sprang up and scampered back to the restroom. He moved aside to give Bossuet room to follow Joly. “Will you need anything?”

“I’ll handle them,” Musichetta said with a wave of her hand. She elbowed Eponine conspiratorially. “I take you enjoyed your night?”

Eponine rolled her eyes. “I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Yeah and pigs have wings. You haven’t taken your eyes off him for the past few minutes.”

It was all Eponine could do not to give her friend a filthy look. ‘ _If I didn’t know better, I’d think they’d actually engineered this,’_ she thought even as she heard the beeping of a phone. “Now who’s that from?” she asked Enjolras.

“Combeferre. Looks like he, Feuilly, and Bahorel are just over at the Kismet Café,” Enjolras said, frowning slightly. “Where is that?”

“It’s a hole in the wall just a few corners from here,” Musichetta said, gesturing with her hands. “Tiny place but really nice. You and Eponine should go there for a date sometime.”

Eponine groaned and elbowed Musichetta. “Really now!” To her surprise, she realized Enjolras was staring at her, with one eyebrow raised. “Something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Enjolras said quickly as he glanced down at his phone. “I could fetch the others and bring them here, if they are in any shape to come here that is.”

 “Good luck.” As Enjolras left the diner, Eponine turned to meet Musichetta’s mirthful gaze. “Why, what’s so funny?”

“Did something else happen last night that we don’t know about?” Musichetta asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“No!”

Musichetta scoffed. “Please. Don’t you remember what happened before the tequila? Courfeyrac and Jehan met some interesting girls back at that place with the poetry reading, so they stayed there. And there was some eat all you can promo at the Italian bistro, so Bahorel was trying to get Feuilly and Grantaire to stay behind with him. And somehow Combeferre got in on it too.”

‘ _Because who can pass up ravioli?’_ Eponine recalled as she got another glass of water. “Enjolras only went along because of his being the designated driver.”

“And you?”

“Because of Cosette!”

“Please, being the third wheel is not your style.”

Eponine gritted her teeth, now fresh out of arguments. “I just wanted to explore the rest of the area,” she muttered. ‘ _Which is certainly no fun doing alone.’_

Musichetta laughed and shook her head. “You could have done it with anyone else. Why with him?”

Before Eponine could answer, her phone began to ring. She reached over only to see Enjolras’ name on the screen. She rolled her eyes as Musichetta began to laugh. “Why?”

Musichetta wiped her mouth. “You should see the look on your face.”

‘ _I really need to reconsider these nights out,’_ Eponine thought before reaching over to take the call.


End file.
